Chapter Two
"The Masaki boy is no longer in Osaka."
Seiryo paced impatiently up and down the bridge of the Unko, pausing every so often to make sure that his team of officers were all carrying out their correct duties, and that none of them were shirking or acting suspiciously. Despite his conversations with Tokimi, his mind kept being drawn back to Kiyone Makibi and their encounter aboard Yagami. The red ship had disappeared not long after their encounter, and Seiryo had supposed that the Goddess had taken care of this crime with as much stealth and ease as she had concealed his father's true cause of death. And yet he knew that people would wonder where she was. Even as just a regular division Detective, Kiyone had been well liked and looked up to by many of her fellow staff. Questions had not been asked yet, but he knew they would come.
And he also knew that he had to be very careful not to give away any answers.
He rubbed his temples, glancing bad-temperedly into the drive room as junior officers scuttled from left to right preparing the craft for take off.
"Hurry up, can't you!" He exclaimed, banging his hand down hard on the steel door and making them all jump. "We're not going on a pleasure cruise! This is an important mission - get a move on or I'll be finding another team to replace you!"
"You are agitated, Seiryo-san. Calm yourself. I need to speak to you."
Tokimi's voice reverberated around his skull and he started, biting his lip. Pausing for a moment to gather himself, he barked a curt order to the supervising officer, then withdrew from the control centre, heading down the steps that led to the craft's cargo bay. The area was deserted, for all supplies had already been loaded, and he leant up against a crate, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Tokimi, I wish you wouldn't do that." He muttered. "First yesterday. Now today. People will notice that something's wrong if you keep springing yourself on me at random intervals."
"Is something wrong, Seiryo-sama?" Her voice was mocking as she drifted into his line of sight, barely more than a spectral presence against the cold steel of his ship. "You are about to embark on the greatest mission of your life. Power and glory for both of us await. Emperors don't have second thoughts, you know."
"I'm not Emperor yet, and it's a long way from here to there." Seiryo muttered. "Do you know how difficult it's been to slip Masaki's name undetected into the wanted database? How many of Jurai's spies I've had to evade along the way? Azusa is a shrewd man, damn him, and Lord Haru is even worse. People everywhere reporting back to their intelligence agencies. If they find out it was me that falsified the evidence and that this whole mission is a big lie, we could both be in trouble."
"I doubt that very much." Tokimi shook her head. She smiled, touching his cheek with a ghostly finger. "Do you forget how much of my own magic I've invested in you? I thought you understood how powerful I am. If Azusa is as shrewd as you say, then he will not stand between us and our goal. If he does, he might find himself top of my elimination list. It's as simple as that. Emperors of Jurai might think they're immortal, Seiryo, but believe me."
Her eyes narrowed, becoming hard and cold as ice as a flicker of a memory passed through them.
"They're not."
Seiryo raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't realise killing Kings of Jurai was a hobby of yours." He observed sardonically. "Any other charming secrets in the divine closet that I should know about before we leave? Because if I'm going to be the next King of Jurai, I'd like to know you're not going to turn on me and eliminate me too, when our work here is done."
"Ah." Tokimi laughed, shaking her head. "So long as you are loyal to me, I will not turn on you. You have served me well so far, Seiryo Tennan, and I reward loyalty, I don't punish it. As for the others...they made the mistake of visiting Kihaku, pretending to inspect the mines. Really they came to hunt me down and cry domination over my world. They did not get the chance to repeat their mistake. Each of them who came left my world in a wooden case, not in a decorated spaceship. They didn't come, after that. Jurai's royal family stayed hidden in their tree-house palace, and bit by bit the newcomers also left."
"I can hardly blame them." Seiryo muttered. He sighed, eying her in irritation.
"So why are you here, Tokimi? What's so important? Or did you just want to wish me bon voyage?"
"No. Not exactly." Tokimi shook her head, her expression becoming thoughtful. "I want you to be careful, Seiryo. Very careful. Tenchi Masaki has left Osaka. We both know this to be true. Clay sent Zero to track him down, but Zero has disappeared since leaving the city also. I have sent that fool Clay to deal with the droid...but I want you to have your wits about you. Washu Hakubi is a houseguest of Tenchi's family. I suspect that she has had something to do with Zero's sudden lack of contact."
"I'm not a robot, Tokimi." Seiryo looked scornful. "And I've read up on Washu Hakubi in the last few days. She's a mad scientist who got kicked out of the Science Academy for trying to blow up existance. Why should I care whether she's part of Masaki's entourage or not? What on earth can she do to intervene, when I have your magic to protect me?"
Tokimi's eyes narrowed until they were little more than slits, and sparks of blue fire flickered from beneath her lashes.
"Just keep away from her." She said coldly. "Don't be foolish enough to go to the mountains. Watch and wait and take the prince when he's vulnerable."
"I think you are afraid of her, Tokimi." Seiryo raised an eyebrow, a challenging note in his tone. Tokimi's scowl deepened, and a bolt of energy shot through his senses, causing him to stumble and reach out for the wall of the ship.
"Insolence like that is not a good way to win my support." Tokimi's tones were low and threatening as he struggled to regain composure, gazing up at her through dazed, stricken eyes. "Washu Hakubi is my business. She's not yours. Just keep out of her way and do as I tell you. Go to the Earth and arrest Tenchi Masaki Jurai. Do it now and do it soon. I will arrange a way for him to be brought to me - so do not fail."
She clenched her fists, a strange glow emanating from her body as she contemplated the next stages of her plan.
"Very soon Tsunami will find she's met her match." She added. "Grounding herself in the blood of a human makes her weak, and Kagato already began to rot her planet's pathetic soul. So much for the Tree of Life...I'll tear it branch by branch to the very roots and burn it in memory of Kihaku!"
Seiryo drew a deep breath into his lungs, eying her warily.
"I'll do as you say." He said at length. "But I want you to leave my ship now, Tokimi. If anyone hears us, they'll know something is wrong. This mission has the appearance of being legitimate - and I don't want to make other officers suspicious. My family's reputation is on the line here as well, after all...and the less magic we have to use to control the other agents, the better. I know Jurai have spies at Headquarters and I don't want to make my planet suspicious of our motives. Not when I'm arresting one of their beloved...and with Detective Makibi missing in action. You said yourself she had connections with these people and I'd rather noone began to pull threads together just yet. I want this to seem like an above board, legitimate mission based on genuine Galaxy Police intelligence. And I can't do that if there's a mad ghost flitting around the bowels of the Unko as if she owns the place."
"But Seiryo, I'm not on your ship." Tokimi's expression transformed into a mocking grin, and she winked at him coquettishly. "I'm in your head, that's all."
"But I can see you!"
"You understand so little about magic." Tokimi looked pitying. "The stronger it grows within you, the greater our connection becomes. I am where I've always been, Seiryo. On the world which I cannot leave. But my magic spreads far and wide across the universe. I have touched you, therefore I can go where you go and see what you see. You understand now? You are truly mine."
Seiryo scowled, but before he could respond Tokimi withdrew herself from his thoughts and he found himself once more alone in the cargo bay. He sighed, fighting against the buzzing sensation in his brain.
"If I didn't think she was mad before, I know she is now." He muttered, raising a hand to his head as he made his way slowly back towards the drive room. "But once Masaki is in my custody, maybe she'll calm down. Get Tsunami out of her system and then we can start making sense of the future. I don't plan on being her servant forever, but I don't intend on giving up what she's given me all that easily, either. She must have weaknesses - there must be something she's not telling me, and I'm sure it has something to do with the woman Washu. And what did she just say? The world which she cannot leave? She must mean Kihaku. But if she's all powerful, why can't she leave it? And if she can't, how did she speak to me the first time we met? Where were we, anyway? Kihaku is a dead piece of floating space rock - it all makes no sense to me. But if she has a weakness and I can exploit it, maybe I don't have to have her hanging round my neck like a millstone for all eternity. Perhaps I'll even be able to take her magic from her. It can't be that hard. Not now I can kill people just by touching them."
He bit his lip, feeling the strange, burning excitement flaring up inside him, intoxicating his senses as he contemplated the possibilities. Then he got to grips with himself, smiling a rueful smile as he pushed open the door of the drive room.
"First things first." He acknowledged to himself. "Tenchi Masaki. For now, it makes sense to go along with the madness. But in the long run, why should I bow to her when I can be a God in my own right? And why should I stop at Jurai when there's this rock of Masaki's for the taking? Earth may be the hiding place of Jurai's saviours, but it has no defences and it would make a nice addition to Jurai's colonies, given that such a primitive people would cost little to subdue. The Tennan family made it's name through invasion, after all. Why should this Tennan be any different? The possibilities really are endless. So for now I'll play Tokimi's game, and deliver her her little playmate so she can have her fun with him and Tsunami. Then I'll focus my mind to bigger and better things...back to an Era when the name Tennan inspired fear and respect across all known galaxies!"
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"So is someone going to explain exactly what happened last night?"
Ryoko perched herself delicately on the windowsill, sending her mother a glare as the scientist entered, a troubled look on her youthful face. In the far corner of the room, Tenchi was idly toying with the television handset, although the set was not switched on, and by the wall the shrine priest was curled up in his chair with a book, seemingly oblivious to all that was going on around him.
For a moment Washu didn't answer. Then she sighed, shaking her head.
"Washu?" Tenchi set down his toy, eying the scientist curiously. "Something's wrong. Is it Kiyone? Is she worse?"
"Did that robot girl hurt her?" Ryoko added, sparks flickering from her fingertips. "Because any excuse..."
"No, Ryoko." Washu held up her hand, sinking down into an empty seat. "Kiyone is better this morning. She's still not awake, but her breathing is steadier than it was last night. She's strong and I really do think she'll fight through it. Mihoshi's quick actions probably saved her life."
"What about Yume? I mean Zero? I mean...whoever she is?" Tenchi frowned. "Is she all right, Washu?"
"Why do you care about her?" Ryoko shot a hurt look in his direction. "She was spying on you all the time and she came here to hurt you! Why does it matter if she's all right?"
"Because she seemed upset about what she had to do, and I felt bad for her. I still do." Tenchi said simply. "Washu-san, is she all right?"
"Yes, she's all right." Washu agreed. "For the time being, however, she doesn't want to come out and join the pow-wow. She's afraid of how Ryoko might react to her and after last night, I'd rather keep the two of you apart, also."
Her glance flickered over her daughter briefly at this moment, and Ryoko bristled.
"I like that." She muttered. "So I'm the bad guy now? She comes here to spy on us and you're angry at me?"
"I'm not angry at you, Ryoko." Washu sounded tired. "And nor is Tenchi. But Yume is really no threat to any of us now. I've removed her link with Dr Clay, and I believe her when she says she doesn't mean Tenchi any harm. She's confused by what's happened to her, and it's understandable that she is. You have to try and understand it from her perspective. She was built with a job to do, and for her entire existance she's never questioned it. Now she's encountered something that's re-aligned all her settings, and she's feeling and thinking about things for the first time. She's like a child lost in an entirely foreign world - but she's not dangerous. I would stake my reputation on that. She's no longer spying for Dr Clay."
"Yeah. Right." Ryoko snorted, folding her arms. "She would have done me serious harm last night if she'd been given the chance. And besides, I thought her name wasn't Yume. I thought it was Zero."
"Ryoko." Tenchi frowned. "Maybe Washu is right. I mean, she did seem upset last night. Really, truly upset."
"Ryoko-chan, Yume was born in a lab just like you were." Washu said gently, eying her daughter with soft green eyes. "But you would die to defend the fact you were a unique being with feelings and rights and emotions just as much as the next person. Yume is part mechanical, it's true...you are entirely biological, which may be part of the reason why you're so often emotionally unbalanced. But like Ryo Ohki, Yume has broken down the barriers between her mechanics and her organics. Ryo Ohki did so when she bonded with you - and your life together since has only emphasised it further. Ryo Ohki now behaves almost entirely like a living creature - with hopes, desires and fears just like any of us. Yume is at the very first stage of that process, but the complex nature of her organic circuitry means she's been inundated with many new emotional sensations at once. She doesn't want to go back to Clay...nor does she feel any loyalty towards him. She wants to stay here and she wants to help. And she no longer wants to be known as Zero. She wants to be Yume and that's what I've said we'll call her. She's trying to build her own existance - and we're going to let her try."
"And you believe her?"
Ryoko frowned.
"Washu, you're not usually the one who's so easily convinced. Why do you want to trust her?"
"Firstly, because it's very difficult to lie to me." Washu said carefully. "It's an old trait my people had, to see the true nature of those we meet. I'm very rarely fooled. As I said last night, I can read her motivation better than perhaps even she can at the moment. And secondly, because she has information that can be - and has already been - very useful to us in getting to the bottom of what's been going on. We had a long chat last night, and another one this morning."
"Well, I still don't know about her." Ryoko grimaced. "Washu, you said yourself that she's in love with Tenchi. Don't you think I've had enough of girls flocking all over him? And whatever you say, she's not even a whole girl. She's part nuts and bolts. It's just wrong...I'm sorry. I don't want to have to deal with that."
"Yume loves Tenchi because he was kind to her. That's all." Washu spread her hands. "Her emotions are too raw to understand properly the distinctions between love, friendship and gratitude. Plus, she still has a sense of logic and she knows that he loves you. Maybe it's a logic you should apply to things, also."
"Ryoko, Washu is right." Tenchi agreed. "I've told you a thousand times that I won't be seeing any other girls because I'm seeing you. If Yume can help us, and she wants to, then that's a good thing. But it's not going to help anything if you get jealous of her. If you think of her as only a robot, why should it matter if she's fond of me or not?"
Ryoko blushed.
"I guess because Washu's right...she is like me in some ways." She admitted unwillingly. "Okay. I don't like it, but I'm obviously out-numbered. But are you sure it's safe to leave her alone with Kiyone? For all we know she might have been the one to attack her."
"No, Seiryo Tennan did that." Washu said composedly. "But he's not acting alone, and nor is Dr Clay. Everything has finally come together in my mind - unfortunately too late to prevent Kiyone from getting hurt."
"Does it have something to do with Tokimi?" Ryoko furrowed her brow. "Was that the name Zero...I mean Yume said last night?"
Washu sighed, and Ryoko was sure she saw a troubled look flit across the scientist's green eyes. At length she nodded.
"Yes. I'm afraid it does." She agreed.
"Who or what is Tokimi?" Tenchi asked.
"Well, that's still under some debate." Washu glanced at her hands. "It's been a very long time. But it would seem she's developed a keen interest in Jurai and particularly in you, Tenchi. Once I would have said that she could be reasoned with - but it's been too many years and too many things have happened in the interim. I've been slow and I'm sorry - I should have put the pieces together more quickly and realised what the anomalies meant. Astral bodies, psychic projections, connections between her and those who do her bidding. I should have been familiar with all those tricks and games she's been playing. But it was such a long time ago - it never even occured to me."
"Hang on a minute." Ryoko held up her hands. "Backtrack for me here, Washu. You know this creature? This woman who's been stalking us for her own personal amusement?"
Washu nodded her head grimly.
"Yes. We are acquainted." She agreed softly. "Although I had hoped that, when we finally did meet again, it would be on happier terms than this."
"Judging by the attack on Osaka, I don't think she has the same sentimentality." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Are you going to tell us what's going on or do we have to join her list of slaughter victims first? Because I for one would like to know what we're up against!"
"Tokimi was...or maybe is...the Priestess of a long dead planet in the depths of deep space - a planet called Kihaku." Washu sat back in her seat, her gaze flitting between Ryoko and Tenchi as she spoke. "Many, many thousands of years ago, she was invested with the power of that planet, because the reigning Priest had died and his only daughter refused to take his crown. Tokimi was almost like his second child - she was orphaned at birth and the Priest took her and raised her as his own. She was always devoted to him, and to the well being and harmony of Kihaku."
"A priest?" Tenchi's brows knitted together. "This planet didn't have an Emperor like Jurai, then? Just a priest?"
"This was long ago, and the planet I'm speaking of was founded on spiritual ideals. Not secular ones." Washu crossed her legs idly, her expression uncharacteristically sombre. "Most of the universe considered the people heathen and barbaric, backwards because they refused to embrace all the technological ideals that other planets were grasping with eager hands. Eventually, of course, it meant invasion. Forces came from outside and colonised the whole of the world, encasing it's rich reserves in atmospheric domes and harnessing the resources for their own ends. The planet was a lucrative source of fuel that was badly needed across the Galaxy as science developed on a huge scale. Although the land was temperamental and the people mistrusted, the lure of wealth in the end proved too much for one civilisation to resist."
"Wait, but we're talking in thousands of years, right?" Ryoko frowned, slipping off the windowsill and settling herself more comfortably on the rug. "So this Tokimi woman is nursing a grudge from that long ago? Geez, and I thought Nagi was bad. That's more than borderline obsessive!"
"Well, Tokimi took her responsibilities very seriously." Washu said quietly. "She was, after all, the elected Priestess and therefore the one best placed to protect her world. Unfortunately she did not wholly understand the nature of the powers which she had been given. You have to understand her loyalty to her planet - her desire to see it prosper. And it became a more personal grievance when the settlers killed the man she knew as father in a brief but violent dispute. It left a bitter wound in her heart. As time passed, she blamed the invaders more and more - for the breakdown in Kihaku's climate, for the death of so many of it's people, for the violence and uncertainty that now ruled her planet. But her heart and the planet's heart became sealed as one when she was officially declared Priestess. Kihaku was always a volatile, destructive force which needed great skill and a certain type of temperament to manage and placate at the best of times. That's why Kihaku had a Priest, and not a King. When the world was first colonised, only a spiritual man could tame and master the land's wild spirit. So it passed from father to son or daughter, for generations without incident. But Tokimi was not of the Priest's tribe, and she was not able to placate the planet's spirit. Instead, both her anger and the planet's unrest grew out of control...turning the elements and the earth on the people who had once thrived there. Instead of Tokimi controlling Kihaku, she became a slave to it's violent outpourings. Untamed, the planet did it's best to rid itself of all the life that it could. And unfortunately the highest toll was among the people she swore to protect."
"She sounds a little bit batty." Tenchi mused. "Even if all that power did drive her over the edge. After all, power had majorly negative effects on Kagato - and you said he was already disposed to be unpleasant before he even got to that point."
"Tokimi's situation is a little different." Washu said with a shrug. "Kagato's insanity was borne out of his own greedy desire for power. Tokimi did not - and probably still does not - want power. She was just given it - and more of it than she could handle. That is quite different. And probably twice as hard to destroy.""So how do you come to know her then, Washu?" Ryoko narrowed her eyes, glancing at her mother accusingly. "You've just given us a nice potted history of ancient insanity, but you haven't told us how it is you came to be acquainted with her. I'm guessing that, as usual, you're only telling us half the story...but considering the situation at hand, do you suppose you could give us the other half too?"
"I'm not sure there's much else you need to know." Washu spread her hands. "Tokimi is extremely powerful and extremely dangerous. Her planet is dead now. Nobody lives there and it just floats through space, abandoned and derelict. For milennia, nobody has heard anything of the Lady Tokimi, Priestess of Kihaku. I suspect most assumed that, when the planet died, she too became dormant...which is turning out to be a dangerous assumption. Tokimi has had a long time to hone her strength and build her strategies - and by now is probably so intertwined with the magic of Kihaku that there's no longer any divide between the world's violent spirit and her own bitter anger at the Priest's death. Since she seems to have focused her attentions on you, Tenchi - I think that we should all be very careful in how we deal with her."
"On that we definitely agree." Tenchi said fervently.
"Do we think that Light Hawk Wings could stop this Tokimi?" Katsuhito set down his book at that point, making his companions glance up in surprise, and Washu smiled, shrugging her shoulders.
"Perhaps all ten could." She agreed. "I'm really not sure. But it's why I now think it's a good idea to bring Jurai into this as soon as we possibly can. Tenchi's Light Hawk Wings - if he can muster them again - may well be strong enough to push her back, but we're not dealing with a greedy ghost prince this time. Tokimi is much, much more than that...on every level. You have to understand that we are dealing with someone who is almost of Tsunami's magnitude. And because of that, I think we may well need Tsunami herself."
"You mean Sasami." Tenchi frowned. "But she's still so young, Washu! Do you think it would even be safe?"
"Well, I don't know if we have the option of hanging around to find out." Washu said acerbically. "Sasami is the only one with a direct connection to Tsunami. She might be young, and she might not be able to muster any Light Hawk Wings at all. But we're running out of choices. You're not absorbing what I said about Tokimi's magic. She's essentially a planetary Goddess, thanks to the magic she's been bequeathed. Tsunami probably is the only one who is strong enough to take her down."
"I don't like the thought of Sasami facing someone that dangerous in battle, and nor will Ayeka." Tenchi said quietly. "Tsunami or no Tsunami, Sasami isn't old enough."
"Well, Sasami can be the judge of that for herself." Katsuhito said softly. "After all, my boy, you were not so very old yourself the first time you faced down Kagato. Age is not what is important here. I think Washu-san is correct. Jurai must be contacted at once."
"Grandpa?" Tenchi turned, eying his grandfather in surprise. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"I'm sure that we are left with few other alternatives." Katsuhito said calmly. "I am somewhat acquainted with Washu's story, also...I have heard it told before, but not quite in that light."
"You have?" Ryoko thought Washu's eyes flickered with alarm for a moment, but then it was gone and the pirate wondered if she had imagined it. "Tell us the story you know, Katsuhito-san. I'm intrigued."
"Well, the basic outline is much the same." Katsuhito reflected. "But the story I learnt as a boy was of a demon who terrorised settlers...people who came to help and support a dying planet."
"Yes, I suppose that makes sense." Washu nodded, pursing her lips. "You would have learnt it from that angle - and I suppose there are two sides to every story."
"Now I'm confused." Ryoko held up her hands. "Why would Katsuhito-san know it from any particular angle?"
"Jurai was the planet that invaded Tokimi's world." Washu said simply.
"Jurai?" Tenchi's eyes became big with shock. Washu nodded her head.
"It's true that many of the native population benefitted from their arrival, also." She added. "They found new jobs, new skills and new friends. But Jurai was a different world then. You think of it as a peaceful haven - Tsunami's world of trees and serenity. But it wasn't always like that. Expansion requires ruthless domination - and there were times in Juraian history when little stood in the way of their advancing troops. But as I said, some did benefit. They married into Juraian families and became part of their tribe...or whatever they called it."
"And the others?" Tenchi asked softly.
"They were thought of as demons. Inferior. Stupid." An edge touched Washu's tone at this. "And they were cast out. They were forbidden entry to the Jurai settlements and cities and when Tokimi's emotions began to wreak havoc across the planet, many died. In essence, the race died out. Those who didn't marry into Jurai families were killed of disaster or starvation - possibly both. Eventually any who survived abandoned Kihaku to its fate. A dead world."
"It's almost tragic." Ryoko mused. "I always knew Jurai was full of elitist snobs. I'm starting to feel sympathy for this woman."
"Well, don't." Tenchi snapped. "Her madness killed a lot of people already and it might well kill more if we let it go unchecked. Priorities, Ryoko! The Earth is in danger and so could Jurai be, if this goddess woman is really nursing a grudge against them."
"Against Tsunami-kami-sama in particular." Washu inclined her head.
"Why Tsunami?" Ryoko looked confused. "What did she have to do with devastating this Kihaku place?"
"Absolutely nothing." Washu said with a sigh. "Except that wherever they went, the Juraians took her image with them. She was their Goddess, and Tokimi felt that she - and the old ways - had been replaced. She wasn't flexible enough to evolve with the times. Maybe she could have reached Tsunami, made an ally of her and worked out a peaceful settlement for both worlds to exist. But it didn't pan out that way. Tokimi has become too angry and vengeful."
"Angry, vengeful and as strong as Tsunami." Ryoko sighed. "Great."
"No. Not as strong as." Washu shook her head. "Tsunami is a true Goddess. Tokimi was only endorsed as one by her people. She's not even born of the right bloodline. She was just chosen in their hour of need, as the one the Priest relied on most to carry out his rituals. With his own daughter essentially missing in action at the time, I suppose they had no choice...but its potentially her weakness. That's where we might have the advantage...Tokimi's powers are, essentially, borrowed."
"So if that's the case, there must be someone out there in the universe looking to claim them back." Ryoko narrowed her gaze. "We might accidentally create a whole new crazy with a goddess complex at this rate, unless we're really careful."
"Perhaps." Washu shrugged. "But it keeps life interesting."
"Well, I think the best thing we can do right now is follow Washu's advice and contact Jurai." Tenchi said with a sigh. "Ryo Ohki can do that, surely? I mean, now you're no longer on the Most Wanted list, Ryoko, I don't suppose it'll mean an outbreak of chaos. And we can't go to the Galaxy Police. With Kiyone on the sick list, and Seiryo Tennan an unknown quantity, we can't risk putting Mihoshi in further danger."
"Well, we could either travel there, or I could try and send out a signal, but it's a long way and it could be intercepted." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Washu, do you have any gadgetry lying around that might enhance her transmission? And encrypt it, preferably. It seems to me that Tokimi probably has spies everywhere. If she's managed to infiltrate the Galaxy Police, who knows where else she has her people hidden?"
"Ryoko, are you learning discretion at last?" Washu raised an eyebrow. Ryoko glowered.
"Stop it. This isn't a joke." She muttered. "Half of Osaka think I'm some kind of half-baked heroine and the other half think I'm a monster from Hell. I'd rather not be either, if it's all the same to you - and the sooner we resolve all of this, the sooner Earth is safe and we can go back to peace and quiet. With any luck."
"Discretion and optimism. This is a big day for you." Washu's tone was light, but there was gravity in her green eyes. "Listen to me. Any kind of offensive against Tokimi or her people is futile until we've spoken to Jurai. Hopefully they'll come here - it's what I expect, although how much they know of Tokimi I'm not sure. Either way, we're better off playing it safe rather than taking any more silly risks. I'm not saying what you did was wrong, Ryoko," As the pirate opened her lips to protest, "But it was indiscreet and it's had repercussions. We can't afford any more of them. Earth is still jittery - panicked and divided now they know that there is a bigger existance out there than they had ever imagined. We don't want to make those fears worse until we know we have some kind of strategy."
"Washu is right." Tenchi nodded. "We have to think very carefully before we do anything. If even my Light Hawk Wings might not be enough in a face to face conflict with this Tokimi..."
"I wouldn't stand a chance." Ryoko finished darkly. "All right, already. Memo received."
"So long as it's been read and digested, that's all that I ask." Washu said acidly.
"Have you ever been to this planet, Washu?" Tenchi eyed the scientist curiously. "You sound like you have...is that how you met Tokimi?"
"In a manner of speaking." Washu dismissed his question with a careless gesture. "The last time I was there, there was no life to speak of. Abandoned domes, battered houses, dead plants and nothing else. But that was a long time ago in itself. Before I was a member of the Science Academy. Before they exiled me to the cave here on Earth. Before any of you were even thought about, let alone born."
Her gaze rested on Katsuhito, and she smiled.
"Even you, Yosho-dono." She murmured. Katsuhito inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"How many years, exactly?" Ryoko narrowed her gaze. "How old exactly are you, Washu?"
"Does it matter so much, little Ryoko?"
"Yes. I'd like you to tell me the truth for once." Ryoko said frankly. "How many years ago? You talk about this Tokimi as if she's part of some ancient civilisation...but if you knew her, that makes you pretty ancient yourself. Tell me. How old exactly are you?"
Washu frowned, then she shrugged.
"It depends which planetary system you go by." She said airly. "But I suppose in Earth ones - it might have been ten or even twenty thousand years ago. Give or take a few years...it's hard to remember when you've done so many things and been to as many places as I have. Time sort of passes you by, in the end."
"Are you kidding?" Tenchi stared. "Are you really that old?"
Washu looked rueful.
"Well, they do say you're only so old as you feel." She responded lightly. "Although if that's the case I aged considerably overnight. My age is not the important issue here. We have other things we need to be thinking about first."
"I still think there's something you haven't told us." Ryoko eyed her mother suspiciously. "Maybe it is important. And if you told us things off your own bat, we wouldn't have to force them out of you. We don't know what's relevant and what isn't - so if you do, could you damn well tell us?"
"Ryoko-chan, you're forgetting your manners again." Washu raised an eyebrow. "I've warned you about that."
"And Washu-chan, for once in your life, be straight with us!" Ryoko grimaced. "Please? Not all of your secrets should be kept secret and if there's something else you know about this woman, we need to know it too. Every little scrap we can discover helps. Know your enemy - isn't that how the phrase goes?"
"It is." Washu agreed cautiously. "But I've told you pretty much all I think you'll need, Ryoko. As I said, she's very powerful and should not be challenged recklessly. Not till we understand more of what she wants, exactly. From what Yume told me, I know that she seeks out Tsunami, and her motivation is revenge for Kihaku's destruction. But it has been many milennia since we last stood in the same room. I don't know enough about her now to know her motivation - and I don't want to give you ideas that may prove to be wrong."
"Washu admit she might be wrong? Now I know there's something else." Ryoko's eyebrows shot up into her fringe and she flickered out of view, materialising inches from her mother and grabbing her firmly around the wrists. "Enough playing around, Washu! How do you know this woman?"
Washu eyed Ryoko thoughtfully for a moment. Then, without a word, she phased her hands through her daughter's impetuous grip, teleporting herself to the other side of the room and settling herself down on the empty windowsill. Ryoko's eyes became big as she registered what had just happened.
"You told me I got that from Kagato!" She managed at length. Washu shrugged.
"You did."
"But you just...!"
"Maybe I've not always been entirely honest with you...but you do know your magic is a meshing of his and mine." Washu said quietly. "That doesn't mean we had entirely different gifts to give you, my dear. Plus, you know I can render forcefields and use them in a variety of ways. I'm not completely devoid of talents beyond the scientific. You've just never questioned enough, that's your trouble."
"Well, I'm questioning now." Ryoko snapped. "What's going on?"
Washu bit her lip.
"What I will tell you is not to be shared outside of these walls." She said softly. "Especially in Earth's current climate of fear and suspicion. But Tokimi and I...we were more than acquaintances. More than friends. Perhaps you might call us sisters. At least, it's how we were, growing up."
"Sisters?" Tenchi stared. "But that means..."
"Yes." Washu nodded, regret flickering in her green eyes. "I am the daughter of Kihaku's last true Priest."